The bus trip from Marrakesh to Casablanca was uneventful. We drove the toll road, which could have been a number of highways in the US. Sometimes it seemed like driving through Kansas, large fields of cut wheat and others newly plowed to sow the winter crop. In the distance we saw large grain elevators. The only difference is the presence of an occasional minaret and the fact that some of the fields included tents housing migrant workers. We made one stop for coffee, and the café could have been found on the Jersey Turnpike, except for the fact that just behind it was an open area where they were baking the local bread over wood fire ovens built of the local clay. In addition to café au lait, I bought one of the freshly baked loaves, which was as delicious as most of the bread that I've eaten here.
After checking into our hotel, we spent the afternoon touring Casablanca
. With a population of 6 million it is the largest city in Morocco and is the financial center of the country. Our tour started with the enormous Mosque of Hassan II. The prayer hall is more than 600 feet long and 100 feet wide, and can hold 25,000 worshippers—20,000 men on the main floor and 5, 000 women in two galleries. The mosque was opened in 1993, and was built by 35,000 craftsmen working in shifts 24 hours a day, for 6 years. It is built entirely of materials from Morocco with the exception of two white marble pillars from Italy, and titanium from Russia which was used in the elevator. The cedar ceilings, tilework, marble, and carved plaster are as beautiful as ancient structures that we have seen. Under the prayer hall are large ablutions rooms, and a hammam that is fully operational but has never opened. The mosque is partially built over the Atlantic Ocean and the minaret is known as the as the Lighthouse of Islam, which is appropriate because it is 656 feet high and contains two laser beams which shine in the direction of Mecca
.
After the mosque we made a short photo shop at Rick’s Café. What a disappointment to learn that it is only 6 years old. If you want to visit the original, you probably need to head to a movie lot in North Hollywood. After seeing the café we abandoned our plans to go there for dinner. We also visited a church, built by the French in the 1930s. Its art deco design is a dramatic contrast to that of the Mosque. The church is one of two built by the French. The other, Sacre Coeur, is more traditional architecture, but it no longer in use. Next we walked though Place Mohammed V, which was the administrative center of the Protectorate, and is now the location of the law courts, the central post office, the French embassy and various cultural organizations. The buildings comprise an interesting mix of French architecture with Moorish overtones. The French influence was also obvious as we walked under the arcades along the Boulevard Mohammed V on the back to our hotel.
In the morning, most of our group has early flights back to the States, so we said goodbye this evening. After their departure the final 6 will head south down the Atlantic Coast to Essaouria.
Inside the Mosque and Church
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Casablanca, Morocco
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